Conventional footwear inserts, such as orthotics, are typically sold to customers to conform to a particular customer need. As those needs change over time, either due to the change in a customer's foot conditions or a customer's personal preferences, a customer would typically buy an entirely new replacement. This practice of buying multiple orthotics can become expensive and also bulky to store.
Off-the-shelf orthotics or insoles are generally not customizable and have a limited range of support. These orthotics are made in different sizes, but typically have a particular shape and support structure. Orthotics that are sold may vary in different properties, such as the type of material, hardness of the material, stiffness, flexibility, flexural modulus of the material, or the shape of an arch, etc. However, for a particular orthotic, each of these individual characteristics is not customizable. Thus, many variations of orthotics must be provided in a retail environment to satisfy different custom preferences.
Some custom orthotics have been described but are not easily adjustable by a user. For example, a custom orthotic may be made from a material that is molded when compressed by a foot, or made of a curable material to conform to a foot. Alternatively, a custom orthotic may be made from taking measurements of an individual's foot. However, the disadvantage of these custom orthotics is that they must be custom made with a custom fit for a particular foot. They also may not be adjusted depending on the use. For example, a user may want a different level of support when playing a sport versus everyday use.